Sir Tim Wallis died this afternoon (Tuesday October 17), aged 85.In a statement, his wife and children said: "It is with great sadness that we advise the death of our beloved Tim."The aviation entrepreneur died at home this afternoon "surrounded by family with a helicopter parked outside his window"."An exceptional man and a wonderful life."Sir Tim is survived by his wife Prue and their two sons, Toby and Jonathan.The Warbirds Over Wanaka community released a statement to mark the death of the airshow founder, patron and number one fan.Sir Tim was the driving force behind the event for 20 years after the first airshow ‘Warbirds On Parade’ was held in 1988.Warbirds Over Wānaka Community Trust Chairman John Gilks said Sir Tim’s main reasons for staging the airshow were to share his collection of WWII fighters with the general public but also to help attract visitors to Wānaka which was a sleepy little town back then. “He achieved all of that and a lot more. He was a real business entrepreneur and his legacy in this region goes way beyond the airshow.”Sir Tim’s funeral will be held at Wānaka Airport later next week.PHOTOS: Supplied

Four local girls have had the unique opportunity to work with an established songwriter to record an EP, and its first single was released today (Tuesday October 17). Edie Yandall, Lacey Bristow, Charlotte Martin, and Freya Jeffery took part in SongCatcher, a songwriting programme focused on teaching small groups of children ages 7-11 how to write a song and express themselves through songwriting and singing. The programme is led by New Zealand born country singer-songwriter Jackie Bristow.Lacey and Charlotte.Jackie worked with the girls as ‘Jackie B and the Mini Band’ to record the EP, 'Summertime', which will be released in January, though its first single ‘Spooky Hollywood’, is out now. Jackie said the EP’s songs were “sparkling, radio-ready pop songs”.Originally from Gore, Jackie now splits her time between New Zealand and Nashville.She has released several albums and been hailed by ‘American Songwriter’ as “crafting some of the most beautiful, compelling Americana today”.Edie.The SongCatcher programme began back in 2020 as a one-day songwriting workshop before it burgeoned.“It has been such a joyful experience writing and recording with these kids,” Jackie said. Edie, Lacey and Charlotte attend Holy Family Wānaka and they are all 11.Freya, who attended Wānaka Primary School and Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College before recently moving away, is 13.‘Spooky Hollywood’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.PHOTOS: Supplied

Two of the Upper Clutha’s smallest schools have welcomed new principals this term.Rachel Brown, former chair of the Wānaka Community Board, has been appointed principal of Makarora Primary School. Rachel has been teaching at Pūrākaunui School near Dunedin for the past two years, and Hāwea Flat School prior to that.Board chair Danyel Watson said the board undertook an extensive recruitment process and Rachel “had all the attributes we were looking for”.“We’re really excited to have her on board.”  Rachel BrownThere are currently 12 children (years one to six) from six families attending Makarora School. The school employs a teaching principal, a part time teacher and a part-time teacher’s aide.Nigel Nicholl served as principal from January 2021 until the end of last term.Former Tarras School principal Rachelle Hargreaves is moving to Oamaru to become an education advisor for the Ministry of Education, Otago North.She is being succeeded by Alice Casey, who started in the role on Monday (October 9).“Alice has come to us from Invercargill and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from both overseas and her time spent in New Zealand,” board chair Clementine Wallace said. “We are very excited to see where she will lead Tarras School on the next leg of its journey.”Rachelle was principal from 2017 and has seen the roll grow from six to 22.School upgrades in the past six years include a toilet rebuild, new tennis court turf, a tunnel house, and a relining of the swimming pool. “Tarras School is a very special place to be the principal of, it is made up of wonderful students, a great parent community and a hard working wider community,” Rachelle said. “I wish Alice all the best in taking Tarras School forward on the next part of its journey.”PHOTOS: Supplied

A climbing couple from Lake Hāwea are en route to South Georgia on the centenary year of Sir Ernest Shackleton's final expedition.Mountaineers Dean Staples and Lydia Bradey are leading 22 young New Zealand explorers on the Antarctic Heritage Trust trip which follows in Shackleton’s footsteps.The group flew to Santiago, Chile last week, before they travelled on to Punta Arenas in the south of the country.After that they went to the Falkland Islands to board Antarctica21’s Magellan Explorer and set sail the 152km to South Georgia.One of Frank Hurley’s famous images of the Endurance.Once there, they will spend eight days exploring the island, following in Shackleton’s footsteps and visiting various locations of historical significance.Four of the 22 young explorers will also join Lydia and Dean in an attempt to climb Mt Worsely. Lydia announced the mission on social media as “a Big Adventure … in our attempt to climb Mt Worsley with the Antarctic Heritage Trust”. “So many cool people on and off the boat, and the destination of South Georgia, I have dreamed for years of visiting, I am super excited,” she said.Lydia and Dean hope their team will become the second group (and the first New Zealanders) to summit Mt Worsley, which was named after New Zealand explorer Frank Worsley.Worsley was one of the members of polar explorer Shackleton’s most remarkable expedition: the Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Expedition of 1914–16.The expedition attempted to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent, and while it failed to accomplish its objective, it became recognised as an epic feat of endurance.After Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and eventually sank, Shackleton, Worsley and two other crew members used the ship’s boats to travel to Elephant Island to seek help. All the crew survived and were eventually rescued.Read more: Mountaineers and community stalwart honouredPHOTOS: Supplied

A community-owned charitable trust which supports a wide range of local initiatives has three new trustees.Otago Community (OCT) trustees are responsible for managing funds of more than $285M and distributing funding for the benefit of communities within the region each month.In just the past couple of months they have provided funding to Wao Aotearoa to deliver its 2023 Wao Summit and Winter Games NZ Charitable Trust to go towards the cost of running the 2023 Winter Games.Recent funding of $15,000 from the OCT will support playground development at Te Kura O Take Karara.OCT has also supported Wānaka Musicians Incorporated with funding for Stars in Your Eyes, and local primary school Te Kura O Take Karara with a grant to go towards playground development.Read more: Funds granted for education, sportsOCT chief executive Jemma Adams welcomed new trustees Carole Adair (Dunedin), Robyn McLean (Dunedin), and Fraser McKenzie (Oamarau), who she said were well-positioned to help the trust “to continue making a positive impact in the region”.“We are pleased to have three new trustees appointed to the trust and look forward to their contribution,” Jemma said. “We believe the skill sets and knowledge each will bring to the table will be an asset for the trust”.The new trustees replace Diccon Sim and Malcolm Wong who stepped down at the end of August.“I wish to thank Diccon and Malcolm for all their hard work and the significant contribution both have both made to the trust over the years,” OCT chair Andy Kilsby said. OCT’s objective is to assist community projects that make a ‘significant and positive contribution to Otago communities.Find more information about the trust and funding opportunities here.

A 16-year-old Wānaka dancer has been selected for a prestigious performance showcase in New York City.Hunter Cranfield, who dances with Centralpoint in Wānaka, recently attended the week-long Broadway Dreams programme in Rust, Germany, with dancers from all over the world. At the end of the week, he was singled out as the only dancer selected to represent Broadway Dreams Germany in New York for the organisation’s international premier event.Hunter told the Wānaka App he has been dancing for eight years.He said the programme in Germany, where he got the chance to learn from top Broadway actors, directors and choreographers, had been an “amazing” experience.“I also got to meet so many like minded people that love to dance,” he said.  Broadway Dreams was founded in 2007 and it is a non-profit arts education organisation known for its immersive, mentorship-driven training model. The programme acts as a bridge between the Broadway community and the next generation of theatre artists. Its founder, fellow New Zealander Annette Tanne, is eager to bring talented Kiwi youngsters to experience the performing arts scene abroad. The event in New York, which Hunter will attend in November 2024, will provide even more opportunities for the promising young performer.It is attended by top Broadway directors, casting agents, theatre companies, venue operators and composers who scout for new talent.Hunter said he is excited to build further connections in the industry and learn more from all the professionals. “I would love to dance professionally once I have finished school and continue my training to enable me to do this,” he said.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka mountaineer Guy Cotter put pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions to good use by writing his memoir: ‘Everest Mountain Guide – The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer’.Guy told Wānaka App podcast The Outlet that in a way he had been writing the book for over 30 years.“I'd kept diaries of all my expeditions wherever I first went there in 1992,” he said. “And through Covid, I had a bit of time on my hands. So I figured, well, rather than do nothing, I'll just complete some projects that I've been wanting to do for a long time.” Writing the book was one of them, but it wasn’t a case of him sitting in a quiet study near Wānaka writing for hours. While he started writing during the early days of the pandemic, the rewriting and editing process lasted much longer.‘Everest Mountain Guide – The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer’.“I'd find myself in a hotel room in Punta Arenas at the bottom of South America between expeditions or Kathmandu or whatever, or in a base camp somewhere trying to rewrite a section and then getting it back [to my editor].”Guy said his motivation was to provide some background information about what goes on on Everest.“Everyone's got an opinion about what happens on Everest, but people aren't all aware of all of the detail and all of the backstory and what it really is like on the mountain. I wanted to fill some of those gaps.”One thing he particularly wanted to include were the events of 1996.Guy owns Adventure Consultants, which has been based in Wānaka for more than 25 years. The business was established by Rob Hall and Gary Ball in 1992, and Guy guided on its first commercial expedition to Mt Everest in 1992.“A lot of people will know about what happened in 1996 with the passing of Rob Hall and Andy Harris and Doug Hanson, Yasuko Namba, Scott Fischer… I wanted to ensure that there was a preamble to that and that the build-up to ‘96 showed that ‘96 wasn't just an isolation,” he said. “I also wanted to focus on what happened after that, what it was like for me to take on the mantle of running Adventure Consultants…”Adventure Consultants downsized after the arrival of Covid-19 and the border restrictions, but the company relaunched globally in 2022 and has been based in a temporary office upstairs in Wānaka’s Spencer House Mall since June this year.Read more: Wānaka business goes global againGuy said there is “a huge amount of drama on a peak like Everest every year” and his book covers much of it, but he also looks at wider issues.“[I try] to give a rounded view of what's going on on Everest rather than just the dramatic headlines we hear all the time,” he said. ‘Everest Mountain Guide – The remarkable story of a Kiwi mountaineer’ is due to be released on October 13.Details have yet to be confirmed for a Wānaka book launch.PHOTOS: Supplied

Jill Checketts of Wānaka, representing 50 Squadron (Alexandra) Air Training Corps, took out the 2023 Alexandra Blossom Festival Senior Queen crown at a special event at the Alexandra District Club on Tuesday (September 19). Nominees Angela Pratley (Combined Lions Clubs of Clyde & Districts) and Linda Leckie (Alexandra Senior Citizens) were named runners up and will ride next to Jill on the Contact Energy float in Saturday’s Alexandra Blossom Festival Grand Parade (September 23).Head judge and Central Otago mayor Tim Cadogan said judging was a difficult decision as all the candidates were deserving of the crown, however Jill’s 24 years of supporting young people through Air Training Corps was too big to dismiss. Jill said she was “very honoured and humbled’’ to win.“The other contestants were amazing and everybody in this community does so well - they don’t just do one thing,” she said.“They do so much for everybody and it doesn’t matter what your walk of life is, you have a mutual interest in being the best you can be in this wonderful place.’’ The Senior Queen has been a fixture in the Alexandra Blossom Festival since 1996, with the crowning the first official event of the festival week.PHOTO: Shannon Thomson/Alexandra Blossom Festival

Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) students Richard Denyer, Oscar Goodwin, and Matilda Metcalfe competed in the national Smokefree Rockquest final held in Auckland on Saturday (September 16).Smokefree Rockquest is Aotearoa New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music youth event.To reach the final, the musical trio ‘Spoken’ entered two original songs in the regional competition, filmed three original songs for the next round, and performed a further two original songs in the final.Principal Nicola Jacobsen said everyone at MAC was incredibly proud of Matilda, Oscar and Richard.“Reaching the final ten in the nationwide Rockquest competition is an exceptional achievement and testament to their commitment, passion and hard work.“This achievement also reflects the dedication of our head of music Mat Doyle who provides extraordinary support to our students.”Vocalist and keyboard player Matilda Metcalfe said reaching the Rockquest final was an incredible opportunity for the trio.“We feel so privileged to have made the final of the competition and to be given a platform to reach a broader audience and gain the wider recognition we have worked so hard for.”Drummer Oscar Goodwin agrees. “I’ve been part of this competition since I was in Year 8 and it’s always been a dream of mine to make the national final.“It was great to be on stage and meet all the other musicians at the event and it’s such an awesome way to end our time at school.”Bass player Richard Denyer said making the final of the competition was the result of years of hard work, hours and hours of practice and meticulous songwriting.“The songs we write are a fusion of all our musical personalities because each of us has different taste in music which makes for an interesting dynamic because we always bring different ideas to the table.” MAC head of music Mat Doyle said making the nation’s top ten is a testament to their dedication, passion, and hard work.“Spoken's success serves as an inspiration to all our students, showing them that with passion and perseverance, they can achieve great things.“We are so thankful to have events such as Smokefree Rockquest to provide our students with opportunities to share and present their craft and to open doors for them.”View one of Spoken’s original songsWatch their live performance at Rockquest here.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka’s inaugural Pride Street Party was better than organisers hoped for with a strong community turnout at Saturday’s (September 9) event.The celebration at the Lake Wānaka Centre featured everything from live music and DJs to spoken word and poetry, a craft market, food and beverage stalls, a ‘living library’, and an information market with LGBTQI+ resources.  “This is better than I envisioned it,” event spokesperson Ollie Harcus said. “The community have really come together both from a rainbow perspective and our allies, so it has been absolutely amazing.”Ollie is a founding member of Out and About Wānaka, a burgeoning group of LGBTQI+ locals and allies.He said the idea for the pride event came from a desire to support local rainbow youth. It quickly picked up steam with a range of community groups supporting the initiative.“Our agencies, St John, FENZ and the police have all really stepped up and gone, you know what, we want to be a part of it,” Ollie said.A range of community groups supported the event.Ollie said the event was about bringing people together and removing any negativity around the rainbow community.A stage at the entrance to the Lake Wānaka Centre became the focal point with drag queens among the light-hearted entertainment provided.“It was incredible to see the love from the community and you know, just bring that negativity down and go, do you know what, that was an epic day. These are some epic people.”Money raised from a raffle and silent auction on the day will provide financial assistance to support Kahu Youth and Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College’s rainbow programmes.In addition to the Pride Street Party, Out and About has longer-term goals to become a charitable trust that supports the local LGBTQI+ community, Ollie said.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has appointed Dr Leslie Van Gelder as the chair to the Climate Reference Group (CRG).The CRG is an independent panel of experts who advise the council on climate and biodiversity related issues and developments and help deliver the Climate Action Plan (CAP).  Leslie is a Glenorchy resident and the co-chair of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary, and chair of both the Glenorchy Heritage and Museum Group and Glenorchy Dark Skies Sanctuary Group.She has served on QLDC’s Vision Beyond 2050 Steering Group, Regenerative Recovery Advisory Group, and Economic Diversification Advisory Group.“The Climate Reference Group is such an outstanding group of people who deeply care for this place and our future,” Leslie said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we can amplify the work that’s already taking place in the district and finding more opportunities to work together in a cohesive, strategic, and impactful way.”Councillors unanimously approved Leslie’s appointment at a council meeting late last month.She replaces the previous chair, former Wānaka resident Bridget Legnavsky, who relocated to the United States. Mayor Glyn Lewers said Leslie was an “excellent fit” for the role.“With Dr Van Gelder’s leadership, I look forward to receiving the group’s continued independent advice and guidance that’ll help ensure QLDC best navigates what is a complex, complicated, and multi-generational set of issues,” he said. Members of the Climate Reference Group include Dr Chris Cameron, Rev Evelyn Cook, Amanda Robinson, Alec Tang, Dr Barrie Wills, Eleanor Trueman, Dr Jim Salinger, Dr Lyn Carter, Tony Pfeiffer, Victoria Crockford, and Sydney Telfer.PHOTO: QLDC

Council boss Mike Theelen has received a pay rise bringing his salary to more than $415K. The Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) CEO’s salary increased by a little over $30K to $415,321.09 after the Chief Executive Performance Review Committee recommendation was approved by councillors last week.The pay rise marks an increase of eight per cent (including a KiwiSaver contribution of three percent), significantly more than the two percent raise he received a year ago. Mayor Glyn Lewers said the remuneration package reflected Mike’s strong leadership during “unprecedented times of change for local government”.His remuneration is now $415,321.09. PHOTO: Wānaka AppNational level changes affecting the council include the affordable water services programme, the Resource Management Act review, and the Future for Local Government review.“Council is also facing an extremely challenging environment with increasing costs, insurances and borrowing rates, while trying to balance the effect of rates on the local community during a cost of living crisis,” Glyn said.Those factors, in addition to significant building defect claims and planning and delivering for current future communities add up to a “massive” job,” Glyn said.He said Mike and his team are guiding elected council “with skill and valuable experience”.“He is a true asset to this council and the district.”Mike was previously the Christchurch City Council's general manager of strategy and planning, and led the council's recovery team after the Canterbury earthquakes.He joined QLDC as CEO in February 2016.

Ngurrawaana the film, directed by Kieran Satour, is this year’s winner of the Monster Children Short Film Awards (MCSFA), presented by Lake Wānaka Tourism (LWT). Kieran (of Garuwa), along with producer Ramona Telecican, editor Rah Dakota, cinematographer Ryan Andrew Lee and photographer James Evans created a short film which explores a Yindjibarndi man’s journey back to his homelands and shows how being back on country helps First Nations people find their spirit and power amongst their ancestors. For the awards a shortlist of five directors were asked to provide a treatment concept incorporating the theme of ‘Regeneration’ to be filmed in Wānaka.“All five responses were incredible,” LWT said in a statement, “but it was Kieran’s deeply considered response to the subject that made the difference.” During the process of making Ngurrawaana it was important to be able to share Yindjibarndi culture in an authentic and nuanced way, Kieran said.  “I am humbled to be the winner of MCSFA 2023 and am even more excited to see the Yindjibarndi story reach a bigger audience via Ngurrawaana’s win. “I want to thank the Yindjibarndi for trusting me to make the film with them, especially Juluwarlu CEO Lorraine Coppin, her son Wimiya Woodley, his partner Iya Ware and his father Michael Woodley.  “In the same vein as our process with the Yindjibarndi, the kaupapa for our film in Wānaka was always going to be a First Nations first approach that centres around Kāi Tahu experience, worldview and perspective”.  The calibre of talent made it both exciting and difficult for to choose a winner, LWT marketing and communications manager Gizelle Regan said.“After an extraordinary response to the theme of regeneration special mentions need to go out to the runners up Kauis Potter, Tom Morales, Jason Tran, and Tim Brown who have each won $1,000 in cash as well as a $500 Sony hardware voucher.” Kieran and his team have won a $10,000 cash prize, $10,000 worth of film hardware from Sony, and production budget to direct a short film, on-location with local crew and Monster Children Films, supported by LWT and partner Film Queenstown Lakes.  Watch the winning entry here and keep an eye out for the Wānaka based film due for release before Christmas.  

Central Otago Heritage Trust's (COHT) oral history programme has been boosted by a $11,430 grant from Central Lakes Trust (CLT) in the August funding round. The oral histories recorded by the trust have included local personalities like Snow Farm co-founder Mary Lee and former Tarras School principal of 25 years Noelene Pullar.  COHT oral history manager Carolyn Squires said the stories are considered to be a shared taonga (treasure) and essential to have recorded, preserved, shared and celebrated on an ongoing basis. The programme preserves “our unique history shared through the spoken word, and make these available for the public to enjoy and listen to on our website,” Carolyn said.The CLT grant will support the project for another two years, through to July 2025.Currently there are 84 oral histories in the collection, and 12 are available online for anyone to listen to, (including residents of Hāwea, Tarras, Cardrona and more).Interviews are carried out by volunteers, and the project aims to collect 30 oral histories a year. Each oral history can involve 16 or more hours to complete, covering preparation, pre-interview meetings, recording and editing. So far volunteers have spent 2,160 hours working on the oral histories. Carolyn said COHT OHP currently has a full quota of volunteer interviewers but they do need assistance from someone who has expertise in using software to edit audio content. The collection of interviews cover a wide range of topics including farming, viticulture, health, dance and community engagement. “We are interested in collecting more oral history recordings on the stories of different ethnic groups across Central Otago [too].”For more information contact [email protected] or visit the OHP website.PHOTO: Central Otago Heritage Trust 

Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) year seven students Lachlan Manson and Charlie Burgess have won premier awards at the 2023 Aurora Energy Otago Science and Technology Fair.Lachlan (Lachie) Manson won the Premier University of Otago Centre for Sustainability award for his project entitled ‘Snot vs Glass’ that looked at how didymo compared with pink batts as an insulation material.Charlie won an Otago Institute for Arts and Science mātuaranga Māori award for his study of the Māori wind instrument pūrerehua.Lachie said the inspiration for his project was to find an alternative to pink batts insulation.“Didymo is a type of algae and it’s a pest in our rivers so I wanted to see if it could be used for something more environmentally friendly,” Lachie said.Lachie’s prize-winning project.“I discovered that using dried didymo as insulation achieved temperatures that were only one degree cooler than using pink batts.“This was warmer than I expected and means didymo could work as insulation while also helping to clean our rivers.”Lachie said the most exciting part of the project was harvesting the didymo at the Hāwea River.“We went to the river and ripped the didymo off the fence and put it into buckets which was really fun.”Charlie said he wanted to understand the relationship between the length of a pūrerehua cord and the sound it produced.“When you swing a pūrerehua, it makes a whirring sound.Charlie with his prize-winning science board.“I researched what length of string was likely to make the loudest noise and I found out it was 60cm.“When I tested three different lengths of string and measured the decibels on an app, I discovered that a 60cm cord did produce the loudest noise.”Both students said they enjoyed doing their science projects for the Science Fair and would like to do it again in the future.“The main thing is to try your best and not give up halfway through the project,” Lachie said.MAC principal Nicola Jacobsen said it was wonderful to see students being recognised for applying the scientific method to conduct their own research and document the results.“Each year, every year seven and eight student creates a science board based on their own research and it’s amazing to see the variety of topics they choose to explore.“We place a strong focus on scientific literacy at the college so it is wonderful to see our year seven students embracing science with such passion and creativity.”The 2023 Aurora Energy Otago Science and Technology Fair seeks to foster science and technology in the Otago region, with this year’s event attracting 298 entries representing 23 schools in Dunedin and across Central Otago.PHOTOS: Supplied

Local woman Rachael (Roo) Stanford has received a life-affirming boost from the Upper Clutha Hospice Trust as she faces ongoing treatment for cancer. Roo, a former ski patroller at Treble Cone, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer at the age of 37; she was the mother of a two year old and a six week old baby.Roo and her husband Neil’s children are now three years old and six years old, and the family continue to face “horrendously expensive” treatments.“To say it has been a difficult journey is quite the understatement,” Roo told the Wānaka App.“I was literally days off death when I finally got diagnosed. “But I battled hard, and miraculously went from being absolutely riddled, to being almost cancer-free two years later.”Unfortunately what happens with chemotherapy is that the cancer builds drug resistance, she said.“I’ve become resistant to all the funded drugs, and the next drugs are unfunded,” Roo said.“Now it’s started growing again. It’s quite scary.”She has had 62 rounds of chemotherapy - the most rounds staff have seen at Dunstan Hospital, Roo said.The fortnightly chemotherapy wipes her out for a full week, she said.The Upper Clutha Hospice Trust helped support the family recently when Roo was in Christchurch undergoing heavy radiation treatment.However, the family is “scrambling to access the unfunded but promising new drugs available”.“We’re really struggling financially, I haven’t worked for three years and the costs of treatments are astronomical.”Roo said the family had received so much support from their friends that they couldn’t expect more support from them.Her friends have made a new Givealittle page and have encouraged her to reach out to the Wānaka community for support.“There are still several treatments available ,and we are holding hope that one of these new drugs will smash this once and for all. I’ve completely amazed all the doctors so far, and outlived my prognosis by years. I plan on continuing to do so.”PHOTO: Camilla Rutherford

Andy Kilsby has been appointed as the new chair of the Otago Community Trust, a philanthropic trust which supports many local organisations and initiatives.His appointment coincides with the departure of the trust’s long-serving chief executive and the appointment of new financial advisors.Andy said he looked forward to helping OCT achieve even greater impact in the community.“The OCT has already set the stage for long-term success,” he said. “Under new leadership we aim to continue to grant with impact and foster growth and prosperity for the communities of Otago.”The trust has granted more than $210M into the Otago region since its inception in the mid ‘90s. Last month alone it approved over $340,582 in grants, with $35,000 going directly to Wānaka-based organisations.Andy said he aims to enhance community partnerships and drive long-term change across various areas in Otago.He has extensive managerial and governance experience in tertiary education, not-for-profit and finance sectors.He has implemented successful programmes and initiatives supporting youth development at the Dunedin-based Malcam Trust (now Southern Youth Development) and the Otago Polytechnic, where he previously held long-term leadership positions.Andy currently serves as the regional lead for the Otago Regional Skills Leadership Group.He thanked outgoing chair Diccon Sim for his services.Under Diccon’s guidance, the OCT reshaped its strategic priorities and launched the Tamariki and Rangatahi Fund, an initiative that has the potential to be a game-changer for youth in the region, he said.The Otago Community Trust is a philanthropic organisation which applies its trust funds for charitable and other purposes which are of benefit to the community. PHOTO: OCT 

A dramatic early morning accident has resulted in Wānaka man Clayton Hope being airlifted to Dunedin Hospital with crush injuries.NZ Police said emergency services were called to a home on Weatherall Crescent in Wānaka early this morning (Wednesday May 24).Fire and Emergency New Zealand spent about two hours freeing Clayton.Wānaka lawyer Janice Hughes told the Wānaka App that Clayton, who is her husband, had left the house early this morning for his usual 5am start at Wānaka New World. After driving his truck through the gate at the top of their steep driveway, he stopped the ute and exited it to close the gate behind him.Unfortunately the handbrake appeared not to have engaged properly and the truck began to slide backwards towards the gate.Janice and Clayton have learned their ute is the same width as the entrance to their home. PHOTO: SuppliedHe ran to the truck and tried to get into it, but as he was halfway into the truck it dragged him towards the entryway of their home and crashed through.Clayton was left trapped between the truck and a brick garage fire-wall.Janice awoke to a crash and thought it was an earthquake until she heard the truck horn, which Clayton had managed to access.She entered the living room to find water rushing through the room, a strong smell of gas, and debris everywhere.Clayton was trapped and calling for her to get him out but she couldn’t help him. While on the phone to emergency services she started to panic about the smell of gas, concerned the underfloor gas heating could ignite.“I managed to find out where to turn off the gas and turned it off, and turned off the water,” she said.“By the time I’d done that the St John people had turned up. They were amazing.”The wait felt like aeons, she said.“I was quite stressed out as you could imagine.”To free Clayton, emergency services eventually had to get a generator to power a tool to cut through the firewall.Clayton stayed conscious the whole time. “He’s actually really fortunate. Yes, he’s got crush injuries, but he’s not dead,” Janice said.“The house is damaged, the truck is munted. But we’ve got a great community".Emergency workers trying to free Clayton Hope this morning. PHOTO: SuppliedJanice flew to Dunedin Hospital in the rescue helicopter with Clayton, and meanwhile Phil Smith (who built their house) arrived at their address, secured gas lines and began to organise insurance and so on. Another friend arrived to organise the couple’s pets.“We are super grateful for all of the community people who literally turned up and helped do all sorts of things,” Janice said.“Also super apologetic to the neighbours who we woke up with the rescue helicopter.”Janice said Clayton is in good hands and getting checked out at ICU.“For all the negativity we hear about the health system we couldn’t fault anyone. They were there in a heartbeat, they were all amazing and caring.“We live in a quite rural and remote community and without those services we would really struggle.“I take my hat off to them.”Janice said she has learned their entrance way is exactly as wide as their ute. She also had advice for anyone whose vehicle rolls away on them.“If a car starts to slide, just let it go,” she said.PHOTO: Supplied

Wānaka resident Lynette (Lyn) Milne has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for service to the arts in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List.Lyn’s work helping to advance the careers of young classical musicians has spanned many decades and has included everything from organising performances and national concert tours to helping establish long-standing music scholarship programmes.Her appreciation for classical music - and a desire to provide opportunities for the deserving musicians - fuels Lyn’s work.“For me it’s about giving these young kids opportunities,” she told the Wānaka App. “We've got the talent, but we just haven't got enough opportunities for them.”“Any doors that we open for these New Zealand musicians, they're just so grateful - and they give more than they get.” Lyn and her husband Keith were living in London in the late 1970s when her passion was first sparked.Lyn and her husband, Keith.She was working at the Royal Over-Seas League, a non-governmental organisation with an arts division that supports the career development of artists in a range of disciplines, including music. “The musicians do a lot of training, and then they step out into the world, and it's daunting for them,” she said. “They needed CDs; they needed performance opportunities; they needed guidance; and that was very much what the [League] offered.”“So it was quite a revelation for me to see.”During that time Lyn developed a passion for classical music - and she wants more New Zealanders to give the genre a chance.“I don't want Kiwis to be intimidated by it. I think it's a mistake, because it's a lot of fun,” she said. After being immersed in the Royal Over-Seas League for five years, she went on to have other adventures in Europe, but upon her return to New Zealand, Lyn got a call from the Royal Over-Seas League asking her to become their New Zealand director.The first thing she did was organise for some young musicians to perform at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.“And it was so easy. I just found these amazing young musicians and they all just said ‘yes, yes, yes’. And all the delegates from overseas absolutely loved having them, and the musicians loved it.“That kicked me off - I realised then that these young musicians, like the ones in the UK, they want to be seen, they want to be performing and they want to be giving. This is what they've trained for. “So my 25 years in that role was kicked off with that thought in mind.”While she was working for Royal Over-Seas League in New Zealand, Lyn received a phone call from Barrie Petman, a successful Yorkshire entrepreneur.“He indicated to me that he wanted to help young New Zealand musicians,” Lyn said. “Now that's a pretty amazing phone call to get.”Lyn and Keith came up with three proposals, all of which Barrie accepted, and which they went on to help establish and run. These include the Pettman National Junior Academy of Music (a music scholarship that provides extensive training, performance opportunities and competition preparation); the ROSL-Pettman Chamber Music Scholarship (which provides one chamber ensemble each year with a trip to the United Kingdom to experience professional music life and explore possibilities for postgraduate study); and the Pettman DARE scholarship (a unique nine-month programme of practical experience and academic development).“They are still running now, helping our young musicians get more experience, more exposure and even international experience for some of them,” Lyn said.“Barrie Pettman opened a huge door for many of them and they grasped the opportunity and blossomed.”Lyn’s passion has not waned with time: When she and Keith made the decision to move from Canterbury to Wānaka a couple of years ago, she quickly established an artist in residence programme at the Aspiring Lifestyle Village.And just last year she launched the Magic Carpet Music Trust with musician Rakuto Kurano, which has already delivered 28 concerts in rural communities across New Zealand with young musicians performing.“Sometimes they've never ever toured before,” Lyn said. “And that's what we're about. Really getting them out of the rehearsal room onto the stage and getting them touring. Showing them what can happen for them.”Lyn said she wants to see more support for classical musicians from both benefactors and audiences in New Zealand.They’re the most humble, talented, gifted people - there aren’t enough superlatives to describe these musicians to me,” she said.“With their music they open up our worlds, but we have to help open up our worlds for them too.”PHOTOS: Supplied